In Brief
Vinod Natesan filed a criminal complaint against an accused alleging cheating and criminal breach of trust under Sections 406 and 420 IPC, claiming the accused failed to pay contractual dues for intellectual services and terminated the agreement without proper notice. The High Court quashed the proceedings, finding the dispute was purely civil in nature and the allegations did not satisfy the legal ingredients of the criminal offences. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, holding that non-payment under an agreement cannot itself constitute a criminal offence, and that converting a contractual dispute into criminal proceedings amounts to an abuse of the legal process.
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